Bio

I am an NSF-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. I recently completed my doctoral training in sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In my research, I use mixed methods to investigate labor market mobility, health, and internal migration among Mexican return migrants. I am particularly interested in the ways in which U.S. migration shapes return migrants’ social and economic trajectories across the life course. By investigating the experiences of Mexican return migrants, my research extends theories of international migration to reflect the current era of heightened U.S. enforcement, increased return migration to Mexico, and near zero undocumented migration to the United States. My findings can inform policies to reform immigration law and more effectively reintegrate forced and voluntary returnees into Mexican society.

My research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, UNC’s Institute for the Study of the Americas, and the UNC Graduate School, and earned the Odum Award for Excellence, which the sociology faculty at UNC award annually to a graduate student with “a record of creativity, productivity, and professionalism that holds exceptional promise for a career of distinction.” My findings have appeared in academic outlets including the Social Forces, Social Problems, American Journal of Public Health, and Population Research and Policy Review.